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Staycation, All I Ever Wanted: Westin Chattanooga Hotel Review

August 29, 2019

*Disclaimer: This post is a collaboration with Westin Chattanooga and Goldygates Photography. I received a complimentary stay, but all thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are solely my own and based on my personal experience. Majority of these photos were taken by Bridget of Goldygates Photography (contact her for shoot bookings).

There’s something so luxurious and glamorous about staying at a nice hotel. I want to feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, or Eloise at the Plaza (literally complete opposite ends of the spectrum there, but you get my point). I just want to feel like I’m a VIP for the night. I want to eat breakfast in bed, drink champagne in the bathtub, and wear one of those fancy hotel robes while doing absolutely nothing (downtime is a luxury you don't get when you have a toddler).

I love to travel, but since I work a full time office job, I don’t get infinite amounts of time off (unfortunately, we can’t all be Samantha Brown & travel the world on Travel Channel’s dime). So when I need a getaway but I can’t really get (too far) away, I opt for a staycation. Chattanooga has plenty of options for a weekend getaway, but the Westin has always been at the top of my list of hotels to experience. Recently, I was invited for a mini-getaway, and brought along some girlfriends to join in on the fun to live the suite life with me (yes, I went there).

Trust me when I say this hotel is gorgeous. I mean just look at that reflective exterior - this hotel basically is gilded in rosegold (hi my name is Shell and I'm addicted to shiny things). So if you have zero sense of direction like me, don't worry about not finding this gem.You can see this thing from space.

The lobby has a very airy feel to it and is a great space to just hang out and chill. Right around the corner from the main hang space is Dorato Bourbon Bar that services up plenty of drinks, featuring Chattanooga's very own Chattanooga Whiskey (pssst...if you're visiting my town, be sure to take a whiskey tour!). There is a also a full service restaurant of the same name, Dorato, as well as a little marketplace for grab-and-go snacks & the ever-important coffee (what kind of lobby would this be if there wasn't a coffee bar!?)

Plus there is a cute living wall, which is great for the 'gram. Just sayin'.

After checking in, we headed up a few floors to our room. If there's one thing this hotel knows, it's views (more on this later when I take you along with me up a few more floors to Alchemy). We had a king bed with a city view, and guys - you want a corner room. There isn't a bad view in the hotel, but with a corner room, you have sweeping floor-to-ceiling views of either the mountains or the city, and the window literally wraps around almost the entire room (all of the 200+ hotel rooms do feature the stunning floor-to-ceiling windows, which is completely unique to the property). All that was left to do was put on that plush hotel robe and stare wistfully off into the distance and contemplate the meaning of life (just kidding. I was totally thinking about Doordashing some Chick-fil-A).

The face of a girl who is thinking about nuggets & a side of waffle fries...

I put my dream of nugget trays on hold for a minute as we were surprised with an even better tray of goodies, delivered right to our room. Management had sent up some serious sweets and it was the perfect way to kick off the day. I highly suggest ordering room service so you can have your cake and hell yeah, eat it too (preferably in bed. And with a glass of champagne.)

Then it was time to get changed for our cocktail hour at Alchemy, the rooftop bar on the 10th floor. Chattanooga has a very small number of rooftop bars (I can literally only think of 2), so Alchemy is pretty unique in its own right. They definitely use the scenic city to their advantage to play up the atmosphere and give it a really unique vibe. Here, you'll find sweeping views of the city (floor-to-ceiling windows are the name of the game, here, folks), great cocktails (we all had rockstar inspired libations), and a relaxed and/or funky atmosphere (depending on what type of live music situation they've got going on).

The drinks were really good and the views were even better! It does tend to fill up on weekends, so come early to stake out your spot. It can get a bit toasty in the outdoor area, so position yourself accordingly (close to a fan). Alchemy also offers live music 7 days a week and has food options as well. We chose the liquid diet, so I can't comment on the quality of the food, but I will say that the menu sounded pretty intriguing!

I would describe my personal style as colorful, whimsical, and fun, so my bar look had to match. I paired a rainbow Lularoe pleated skirt with a cropped tie-front top and added some Sugarfix by Bauble Bar earrings (I think I must own their entire collection by now. I'm single handedly keeping them in business). I re-discovered my shoes by digging through the back of my closet (they escaped the fate of being Marie-Kondo'ed), and I liked the juxtaposition of the black gingham with the contrasting rainbow skirt. You can never have enough patterns, darling, and in fashion, there are no rules (or if there are, I definitely break them. Like a lot).

Cocktails had us feeling good, so we decided to take the party outside to my absolute favorite part of the hotel: the rooftop pool. When it comes to Chattanooga accommodations, you have multiple options, but this pool will basically decide for you.

Hello, luxury! Where else in Chattanooga can you get a private poolside cabana and views like this? The pool is only open to guests of the hotel, but it does get pretty busy at peak times. We hit the pool late afternoon, around 4, and all the cabanas were already claimed (by what I can only guess was a bachelorette party). But it wound down around 4:45 and by 5, the place was empty. I also stopped by the following morning and only saw 1 other person out there, so your best bet for a relaxing pool day is early morning or evening. Unless the wild pool party vibe is your endgame - and to that I say, party on my friends! We definitely did :)

I had so much fun with this poolside look. I was going for Elton John meets 1960s Barbie, and I think I pulled it off. My coverup is actually true vintage from the 60s, an era I'm totally obsessed with currently. I love the vibrant colors and psychedelic patterns (I think I was a go-go dancing hippie in a past life).

Let's all take a minute and marvel at how pale I am (Casper, the friendly bikini-clad ghost here). It's like I've been purposely avoiding the sun. Despite my efforts, we can't all be bronze goddesses like Heather (left), so I tried to camoflauge that fact by distracting passerby with loud colors and obnoxious ombre glasses.

We had a blast at the pool though. It was packed and we definitely got some looks while snapping these pictures, but our smiles and laughter are 100% genuine (no fake Instagram laughs here; notice the doubled-over-laughter & knee slap. Sarah [right] was probably just telling dirty jokes. Or someone audibly farted. Did I mention we're basically 12? Just keeping it real here, guys).

After the pool, we headed back to the room for a throwback slumber party. And guys, let me be the first to tell you, the beds aren't just comfortable - it's as if the mattress was made from marshmallow clouds and unicorn tears, with sheets woven by the tiny angelic hands of cherubs. Obviously, jumping on the bed was basically required at this point (if you're rolling your eyes at this, clearly you haven't lived, and I weep for your inner child).

What they say is true: the more things seem to change, the more they stay the same. I might be pushing 32, but I'm so glad I have friends like these who are still down to wear cute pajama sets (a nice change from my ratty oversized tshirts), jump on the bed in a hotel room, binge on Netflix & room service, and just be silly together.

Still probably thinking about nuggets. Or Target. Honestly, probably both.

My stay at the Westin was nothing short of luxurious & amazing. If you're Chattanooga-bound, or even just a local looking for a date night or your next staycation spot (hey, we all need a break sometimes; lookin' at you, mamas!), do yourself a favor and book a stay at the Westin. You can thank me later.